4 Portland Neighborhoods with Highly Rated Schools, 2018
Every Portland home shopper has their own unique set of criteria, from the number of bedrooms to architectural style; from green home features to public transit. However, as a real estate agent, I often get asked the question, “How are the schools rated in this neighborhood?”
Families moving to Portland and surrounding communities often feel like they must make the difficult choice between the perfect home and perfect school district, so the first thing I tell them is “Your child can succeed in any Portland school.” It’s true! School rankings, test scores, and student feedback can be helpful, but school administrators and parents across the country agree: parent and student involvement is the top indicator of success.
Some Portland metro schools and school districts, however, are rated higher than others. Here are where some of those schools are located:
- Lake Oswego
- Riverwood
- Beaverton
- Central Portland
This beautiful little suburb of Portland has a small-town feel with just 36,000 residents. Many of Lake Oswego’s schools rate a perfect 10 at Greatschools.org. The Lake Oswego School District serves approximately 7,000 students with two high schools, six elementary schools and two junior high schools.
The Riverdale School District serves the Riverwood neighborhood just south of downtown Portland, where luxury homes are tucked into the wooded hillsides overlooking the Willamette. Like Lake Oswego, the significant amount of wealth in this neighborhood likely affects its excellent Greatschool.org rating, but there is a lottery system for students from outside the neighborhood to attend. There are just two schools in the district, Riverdale Grade School and Riverdale High School, which serve around 600 families.
Beaverton School District comes in at #6 for “Top School Districts” in Oregon listed on niche.com, which uses student test results, teacher quality, graduation rates, and student and parent reviews in its rankings. The district is praised on many other sites for its small schools, inclusiveness, and diversity. Beaverton itself is a growing city to the west of Portland, where a lot of the jobs and new housing are being added. Beaverton School District is also the third largest school district in Oregon (after Portland and Salem-Keizer).
Portland Public Schools is the largest school district in Oregon, and with that comes a massive share of the state’s public education funds. If your child is going to public school in Portland, there are plenty of great ones to choose from. Like larger districts, larger schools tend to have a larger resource pool to draw from, possibly offering more in the way of extracurriculars and technology. On the other hand, certain students do better in smaller schools, and no amount of money can replace one-on-one attention. Whether you buy a home near downtown, in North Portland or Southeast, there’s a good balance to be found between the stimulating urban environment and the quiet feel of a great suburban neighborhood. Don’t take anyone’s word for it, visit various school open houses and meet with the teachers and staff before deciding.
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